Secrets
by Hermione Granger - Top mind at Hogwarts
Summary: Hermione has a secret, one that she is afraid to share with Harry because of his reaction and that he will blame himself. She confides in Ginny and she helps her through it.
1. Prologue

Secrets

Prologue

_Hermione lay on her bed at her parents' house, afraid to move due to the pain she knew that it would bring. Ever since the battle at the Ministry with the Death Eaters, her life hadn't been the same. _

_Her injuries, though they seemed to heal at first, had proved to have lasting affects. She had a pain in her chest that wouldn't go away, although it did fluctuaate with the intensity. She would also get cold from time to time, as though ice water were being poured right into her heart._

_It was August 15th and today was the day she was going to meet Harry and Ron for their trip to Diagon Alley to buy their supplies for the coming year. She was also going to the Burrow to stay with Ron and his family until they got on the Hogwarts express. How in the world was she going to keep this from Harry? She knew that Harry would blame himself for this, and he had enough on his mind as is. _

_Living as a witch with Muggle parents was more difficult than one would think. It was very lonely at times. Her parents didn't know anything she had gone through at Hogwarts, at least not the dangerous things. She didn't know about the chess game in her first year, or being petrified her second year. She didn't dare tell them about meeting Sirius Black or the fact that she spent most of an hour underwater during the second task of the Tri Wizard Tournament, and she sure as heck wasn't telling them about the injuries that she had gotten before school ended._

_Sometimes she wished that her parents were a witch and wizard, just so that she had someone that she could talk to about what she had gone through. She knew exactly what they would have done had she told them. They would have tried to keep her from going back, and she couldn't allow that. Harry and Ron needed her, and for more than simply helping them with their homework. They were like the three musketeers, friends to the end. Although, she was scared that the end was coming for her soon..._


	2. Chapter 1

Secrets

Chapter 1

"Hermione! Are you awake?" Hermione could hear her mum's voice calling to her and she startled awake. Looking at the clock, she couldn't believe what time it was. It was nearly 10:30 am! She was supposed to meet Ron and Harry at Diagon Alley in half an hour.

"Yeah, mum, I'm awake!" Calling back to her, Hermione sat up on her bed and tried unsuccessfully to run her fingers through her hair and straighten it out. What had she been thinking? She was glad that she had packed the previous night before she went to bed, there wasn't time for it now.

Hurriedly dressing in some muggle clothes, she made a mental note to get some new robes at Madame Malkin's and also some of that potion to tame her hair. Looking at herself in the mirror, she decided she looked too pale and put on some makeup to give herself some color.

Hearing a knock at her door, she knew that it was her mum checking on her, "Mum, I'm all packed, I'll be out shortly!" Her parents had been giving her worried looks since she came home from Hogwarts, and she really longed to tell them what was going on but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Fooling her parents was going to be a whole lot easier than fooling her friends, though.

Half an hour later, she found herself in Flourish and Blotts bookstore, her favorite store in Diagon Alley. Her parents had given her the money she would need for her supplies and some extra for her birthday, since she would not be there for it. After picking up the books she needed for lessons that year, she went to the medical section. She wasn't exactly sure what kind of curse had been used on her, but she needed to see if she could figure it out...

"Hermione! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Ron said, startling her from her search, "Might have known you would be in here."

She looked up to see Harry, Ron and Ginny's grinning faces, "Hey guys, how are you doing?" She said, trying to hide the book at which she was looking.

"Mine was better than usual. I think Moody and the others really scared my aunt and uncle cause they were practically nice to me," Harry said, grimly, "I couldn't help thinking about Sirius though."

Hermione nodded and put her arm around Harry, comforting him, "Harry, we all miss Sirius, he was a great guy," She said sadly, "Anytime you want to talk to someone about him, just come find me."

"Thanks, 'Mione," Harry said, a sad smile upon his face.

They talked a few minutes about their summers and finally they noticed what section she was in.

"What are you doing in the medical section, Hermione?" Ron said, looking at her in a concerned way, "You're not sick, are you?"

"Oh, no, I have been thinking about becoming a healer for my profession, that's all. I thought I would start reading up on it now and get ahead."

The other three laughed, that was definitely something that they could believe. Hermione was the smartest witch in the 6th years, and quite possibly in the school.

"What say we go to Florean's and get a bite of ice cream after we leave here? Then we can go get the rest of your stuff," Ron said, smiling at her.

"That sounds like a good idea. With mum and dad being dentists I don't get sweets very often at home," Hermione got a couple of likely looking books and paid for the lot, then headed out with her three friends.

They were all sitting around eating strawberry and peanut butter ice creams at Florean's when the familiar icy pain sensation hit her again. Gasping, she looked around at the concerned faces and shrugged it off, "Went down the wrong pipe. I'll be right back, I'm going to the ladies room."

By the time she reached the ladies room, her forehead was beaded with sweat and she was having trouble catching her breath. Taking a paper towel and wetting it with water, she sat down on the cushioned bench and put the towel over her forehead, closing her eyes and wishing the pain would go away.

"Hermione?" Ginny said, coming into the rest room, "Are you okay?" As soon as she saw Hermione, she knew the answer was no. Going over to her friend, she put her arm around her, "What's wrong?"

Hermione opened her eyes, looked at Ginny, and sighed, "Remember that night at the Department of Mysteries?"

Ginny nodded, it wasn't easy to forget.

"Well, I've been having problems all summer. My parents don't know, I couldn't tell them or they wouldn't let me come back to Hogwarts. But I have pain in my chest and sometimes it feels as if ice water has been poured over my heart."

"Hermione, you need to tell someone. Tell Harry, Ron, anyone..."

"No! I can't tell Harry. He's going to blame himself. I can't let him do that. Please...promise me that you won't tell him," She said, right before she blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

Secrets

Chapter 2 Burden of Truth

Hermione could hear Ginny's voice talking to her, though it sounded far away, like through a tunnel. She opened her eyes to see Ginny's worried face looking down at her, "What happened?"

"Hermione, you passed out. Don't you think we should get you to St. Mungo's and have you checked out?"

"No, not St. Mungo's. Just give me a few minutes to get myself together and we'll go back to the table," Hermione was quite emphatic and didn't want a lot of fuss.

"Fine, but when we get to my house you are resting."

Hermione nodded in agreement, if only to keep Ginny from telling the others. After sitting still for a few minutes, she slowly got to her feet and went out to the main store with Ginny in tow.

"We thought you two had fallen in, you were in there such a long time," Ron said, a smirk upon his face, but Hermione knew that he was teasing her.

"Your ice cream melted while you were gone , Hermione, so I got you another one," Harry looked with concern at Hermione who looked very pale to him, then handed her the ice cream, "Why don't we go out into the fresh air so we can get the rest of our shopping done?"

The four friends finished up their shopping and then headed back to the Burrow, where Hermione discovered that Ron's parents had already taken Crookshanks and her trunk to Ginny's room.

Molly gave her a hug and clucked at the site of her, "Hermione, you look kind of thin, aren't you eating enough?"

Hermione looked down at herself and knew that Molly was right. She saw Ginny catching her eye from across the room and shook her head slightly, "It's just been such a hot summer, Mrs. Weasley. I haven't felt much like eating."

The truth was that her attacks all but killed her appetite. She knew that she was being foolish, that she needed to be seen by a mediwizard, but she wasn't going to let it stop her from going to Hogwarts this year.

"I'm going to go read in our room, Ginny," Herminone said, taking her purchases up to the room that she shared with Ginny when she visited. She had just reached the room and was about to close the door when she felt a hand upon her shoulder.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry said, turning her gently to look at him.

"Harry, I'm fine. It's just been a rough summer, that's all," She said, a little more sharply than she had meant to.

Harry looked crestfallen, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm just worried about you, that's all."

Hermione felt so bad. She and Harry had told each other how they felt about one another at the end of last year. But she couldn't tell him what was wrong. It would be too hard on him, "Harry I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just kind of jumpy waiting on our OWL results and everything, that's all."

Giving Hermione a sweet kiss on the lips, Harry smiled at her, "I know you did brilliantly, 'Mione," He said, with much affection in his voice, "You have nothing to worry about. You do look a little tired, though. Why don't you have a lie down? I'll come and get you when it's time for dinner."

Hermione nodded, that sounded like a good idea. Giving him a kiss back, she smiled at him, "You are so sweet to worry about me, Harry."

Harry's green eyes played over her pale face as he smiled back at her, "I can't help it, 'Mione. I love you."

Hermione squeezed his hand, then went into Ginny's bedroom. Falling on the bed fully clothed, she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Some time later...

A gentle kiss on the cheek and the wonderful minty breath of someone woke Hermione from her nap. Opening her eyes, Hermione was greeted by two beautiful green eyes behind round glasses. With a tired smile, she gave Harry a hug, "Hi."

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Harry returned Hermione's hug and gave her another kiss, this time on the lips, "Hey, beautiful. How are you doing?"

Feeling as though she had been run over by a hippogriff, Hermione didn't let on and did her best to smile, "I feel better after my nap. How long did I sleep?"

"Quite a long time, it's nearly suppertime," Getting to his feet, Harry put out his hand and offered to help her up, "Are you hungry?"

The thought of food made Hermione's stomach gurgle but she knew that Mrs. Weasley wouldn't take no for an answer. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought it would be, and she didn't know how long she would be able to keep up the charade, "I could eat something. It's just that the heat has kind of gotten to me and I don't have much of an appetite."

Harry couldn't mask his worried expression as he helped her to her feet, "Are you sure that you are okay, love? You don't seem like your normal self."

"Normal? Really, Harry, what is normal after what we have been through?" She said, not really answering his question but trying to make light of what was happening.

Taking her hand, Harry gave it a squeeze. He knew that there was something that she wasn't telling him but he wasn't going to pressure her. He was truely worried about her; her face was very pale and she had lost quite a bit of weight.

All throughout the evening meal Hermione saw Ginny stealing glances at her, opening her mouth as if to speak and then closing it when she saw Hermione looking at her. Mrs. Weasley was also watching her closely to make sure that she ate some food, and she wondered how much longer she was going to be able to keep up the charade.

Later, as the two of them were getting ready for bed, Ginny cornered her again, "Hermione, you look like you're about to drop over. I saw Harry watching you during dinner, Mum too. Why don't you tell someone?"

Hermione just kind of rolled her eyes, "Ginny, you saw how panicked Harry was when he visited me in St. Mungo's. What do you think he would say if he knew that not only am I still having problems from the fight but they are worse than they were at the beginning of the summer?"

A look of sadness crossed Ginny's face, "I understand, but he would want to know..."

With resignation, Hermione sighed and laid upon her bed, "I will tell him, but I have to wait until the time is right. As soon as we get to Hogwarts I will see Madam Pomfrey for an examination and then I'll have something more to tell him."

"But what if something happens to you before then?" Ginny said, shaking her head, but Hermione had already fallen asleep. She stayed up for long after their talk, watching her friend sleep and unable to sleep herself due to worry.


	4. Chapter 4

Secrets

Chapter 4 Disturbing Changes

Hermione awoke the next morning to a crash down the steps. Jolting awake, she blinked the sleep out of her eyes and tried to get her bearings.

"Fred! Hermione's still asleep, would you be more considerate?" Molly's voice carried up the stairs.

Remembering that she was at the Weasley house, she yawned and stretched, suppressing the urge to cry out at the pain in her chest. It was really starting to scare her and she was starting to wonder if keeping it from her parents had been such a good idea. Well, the term was starting in just two weeks and her first full day back she was going to see Madam Pomfrey. If she could last that long...

"Oh good, you're up," Ginny said, coming into their room. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and she was dressed in fresh robes, "Are you feeling okay? You look really pale."

Hermione frowned, "Just the same old thing, same as yesterday. Remember your promise to me, though. Don't tell anyone, especially Harry."

"Don't tell me what?" Harry said, peeking his head in.

"Oh, we were just talking about a guy I had a crush on back before I came to Hogwarts. It was silly, really. You know, puppy love. I think that since it seems like the bathroom is now free I'm going to go jump in the shower," She said, gathering up her robes and heading to the bathroom.

Harry turned to Ginny, who was drying her hair non nonchalantly and pretending that he wasn't there, "Did she look pale to you?"

"Who, Hermione? Well, yes, kind of. But perhaps it's just one of those things," She said, glad that Harry couldn't see her face because she knew she was blushing.

"What do you...oh," Harry said, blushing himself, "Those things. okay," He said, grinning sheepishly, "Well, I'll see you downstairs."

As soon as she heard Harry leave the room, she took the towel off of her head and sat down on the bed. With a sad shake of her head, she said quietly to herself, "Hermione, why don't you tell him? He would want to know."

Hermione stood beneath the tepid spray of the shower, allowing it to run onto her face. She was determined not to let this health issue affect her last weeks of fun with her friends. Ginny knew about it, but she was the only one and she intended to keep it that way. She knew what Harry's reaction would be if he knew, that he would more than likely not be able to handle it. He already blamed himself for Sirius' death, and she would not add to his pain.

She showered and washed her hair, then felt dizzy as she was getting ready to get out of the tub. Steadying herself against the wall, she prayed for the feeling to pass. She had gotten used to these attacks over the summer, but more recently they seemed to be coming more frequently and with more intensity. She couldn't help it as the tears slid down her cheeks, combining with the water coming from the spigot.

Not wanting to waste the water, she pulled herself together and turned off the spray, carefully stepping out onto the linoleum. Feeling a chill go through her which she knew had very little to do with the temperature of the air, she wasted no time in drying off and dressing.

Heading back to Ginny's room, she found her friend waiting for her.

Ginny regarded her with concern, "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not. I hate feeling this way. I hate not being able to tell my parents anything and I hate that I feel worse with each passing day," Hermione sat down on the bed opposite Ginny and put her head in her hands, "I don't enjoy doing anything anymore. I either feel too dizzy, or that blasted pain overtakes me. This is our sixth year, we're going to have a ton of work put on us. Some days I barely function as it is."

Going over and standing beside her friend, Ginny put her arm around Hermione's shoulders, "Why do you feel like you can't tell your parents, Hermione?"

"I'm afraid that if I tell them that they wouldn't let me return to Hogwarts. They don't know about anything that has happened there, I never told them. I love Hogwarts and the last thing I want is to not finish my education."

"You really need to tell Harry, Hermione. He's going to find out sooner or later and he's going to be very hurt that you didn't tell him sooner."

Knowing that Ginny was right, Hermione nodded, "I will, but not now. The death of Sirius is still too fresh in his mind. I'll find a right time to tell him, sometime when we have a quiet moment alone."

"Well, put some make up on. You're whiter than Nearly Headless Nick," Ginny said, only half joking, "Harry won't be asking you any questions about your health this week, at least. I kind of hinted that it was female problems that had you under the weather."

"Brilliant" Hermione exclaimed, giving her friend a hug, "Well, at least I won't have to worry about telling him I'm tired for a few days."

Going over to Ginny's vanity, she put on some eyeshadow, lipstick and blush to give herself some color, and put her hair back in a hair band to get it off her face. Turning to Ginny, she waited for her assessment.

"Much better. Here," She said, giving her a perfume bottle, "Take a spritz of this."

Hermione spritzed the air with the perfume atomizer and walked into the spray, "That really smells pretty, thank you."

"You're welcome. Whenever I'm not feeling that great I find putting some makeup on and a spritz of perfume makes me feel better. At least you don't look as pale as you did."

Giving herself a cursory glance in the mirror, Hermione had to admit to herself that Ginny was right. She did feel better, a bit, now that she looked better.

Ginny gave Hermione a smile, "What say we go down and get some breakfast before my brothers and Harry eat it all?"

Five minutes later found them at the kitchen table, eating Molly's delicious eggs and bacon. As usual, Hermione's appetite wasn't that great, but she knew that she wouldn't be allowed to get away without eating. She took a spoonful of eggs and a couple of pieces of bacon that didn't look too greasy and made the best of it.

"I'm glad to see you are eating, Hermione. You look as though you have lost some weight. Let me know if you want anymore."

Hermione looked at Ginny and rolled her eyes.

Shrugging helplessly, Ginny suppressed a giggle and gave her a look that plainly said, "You know how my mum is."

Looking up, she saw Harry sneaking up behind Hermione. He put a finger to his lips, warning her not to say anything.

"So, Hermione, what do you want to do today? I bet the guys will want to play some Quidditch," She said, giving Harry a sly look.

Hermione felt two hands cover her eyes and heard a voice say, "Guess who?"

"Hmm, I don't smell any dung bombs, so it can't be Fred or George," She said teasingly, knowing that it was Harry all the time, "Crookshanks, is that you?"

Suppressing a giggle she finally said, "Hello Harry," and leaned her head back for a kiss.

"Hi, Hermione," Harry said, taking his hands from her eyes and bending down to kiss her, "You look really pretty today."

Beaming as he sat beside her, Hermione looked at Harry, "So, are you going to play Quidditch today?"

"Actually, I thought maybe you and I could go to Diagon Alley, just the two of us. Maybe go window shopping and have a little lunch. How does that sound?

"That sounds..." Hermione's voice trailed off.

"Don't worry, if you get too tired we can come home," Harry put his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze.

"All right. It will be kind of nice getting out, just the two of us. I have a feeling that with all the work we'll have this year we won't have much free time to spare."

Just then three owls came flying in through the kitchen window.

"Looks like our OWL results are here," Hermione said glumly, "I'm almost afraid to look."

"Hermione, out of the three of us you're the one who should be the least bit worried. You know you did well," Ron said, coming into the kitchen as the owls dropped a letter in front of each of them.

"Well, who is going to go first?" Mrs. Weasley said as the owls left.

Harry and Ron looked expectantly at Hermione, and she stifled a laugh.

"All right, I'll open mine first," She said, opening the letter and smiling.

"So what did you get 'Mione?" Harry said, trying to look at her letter.

"Eleven," She said, quietly, "Outstandings in everything but Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"See! I knew you had nothing to worry about!" Harry said, opening his letter, "I got an Outstanding in DADA."

"Well, that's not a shock, is it?" Ron said, opening his own letter, "Seven OWLS."

"You did better than Fred and George did put together!" Mrs. Weasley went over to her son and gave him a hug.

"Mum, gerroff!" He said, blushing as red as his hair and wriggling out of her grasp, "So, Harry, you up for some Quidditch?"

"Not today, Ron. Hermione and I are going to Diagon Alley and spend some time together, just the two of us. Maybe tomorrow."

"Oh, alright," Ron dejection was evident in his voice, but he didn't press the matter.

Hermione could feel another attack coming over her, "Harry, I'm going to go brush my teeth and then we can go, okay?"

Nodding, Harry stood up and grabbed a last piece of bacon from the platter on the table, "I'll wait for you outside then."

Forcing herself not to run up the steps, Hermione went as quickly to the bathroom as she could, knowing that her breakfast wasn't going to stay down. Splashing some cold water on her face helped, and she was able to keep from vomiting.

Sitting on the loo, she put her face in her hands and felt the tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She heard someone coming into the bathroom behind her and closing the door, and looked up expecting to see Ginny, but she didn't.

Molly Weasley stood before her.


	5. Chapter 5

Secrets

Chapter 5

Secrets Swapped, Slytherin Swamped

Hermione wiped away her tears and stood up, "Mrs. Weasley, did you need to get in here?"

Going over to Hermione, Molly gave her a hug, "No, I came in here because I am really worried about you. Do you have something you want to talk about? You know I care for you and Harry as if you were my own children."

Nodding, Hermione sighed, "I know, but you have to promise me something. Whatever I tell you stays between us. I am going to tell Harry eventually, but not now. I just can't."

A realization struck Molly, "Hermione, you're not...pregnant are you?" She said, looking at her with renewed concern.

"Oh, Merlin no!" She said, almost laughing, "No, I'm not pregnant. Harry and I just started dating and we haven't even considered making love. Although in a way that would be easier than what I do have to tell him."

Conjuring up a chair for her and Hermione, Molly invited her to sit down, "I knew that something was wrong from the moment you arrived yesterday. I promise you that I won't say anything to Harry, just tell me what's wrong."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione told Molly everything. She told her about the pain she'd been having over the summer, about the nausea, the feeling of coldness, everything that had gone on since the battle at the Ministry of Magic.

"Not even my parents know. Just Ginny, and now you. I didn't want to tell Ginny, but yesterday I passed out at Florean's ice cream parlor and I had to tell her why."

Molly allowed Hermione to finish her story without interruption, then gave her a gentle hug, "I wish you had told me about this yesterday. It's such a burden for you and Ginny to carry around by yourselves. Well, that explains why you are so thin, if you can't keep food down. Do your parents know about anything that you have gone through at Hogwarts? I mean, the petrification or anything like that?"

Hermione shook her head, "As I told Ginny, I didn't tell them anything because I was afraid that they wouldn't let me return. I want to finish my education, Mrs. Weasley. I love being a witch."

"I guess I can understand why you don't want to tell them, but please know that you can come and talk to me anytime you want to. I'd also be willing to talk to them for you, if you want me to."

With a vehement shake of her head, Hermione gave her opinion on that, "Please don't do that. I will tell them someday, when I've graduated Hogwarts and they know that I'm safe. I'm worried enough as it is that they are there without protection if someone would choose to attack them."

"Well, let's see what we can do to help you with the pain and nausea you are dealing with. I think I have a couple of potions in the medicine cabinet that might help, but there is no guarantee. You really should see a healer about it," Molly said, opening the medicine cabinet and looking through it.

"I plan to see Madam Pomfrey as soon as I get to Hogwarts," She said as Molly handed her two vials.

"Take a swallow from each bottle...one is for nausea and the other is for pain. Like I said, I don't know how well they will work but since they are specifically for magical injuries and ailments, they should give you some relief.

Doing as Molly suggested, Hermione felt a warm feeling as the potion spread through her body, "I do feel a bit better. I'm glad I told you about this, Mrs. Weasley. It feels better knowing that I can confide in an adult about it. I'm going to tell Ginny that I told you too, this way she knows that she doesn't have to worry about spilling the beans when she's talking to you."

"I'm glad you told me too," Molly stood and gave Hermione a hug, "I think that for those of us who come from an all wizarding family, or even one where there is one magical parent and one muggle parent, it's easy to forget how hard it is for those who are muggle born. The only friends you have who you can really relate to are those who are at Hogwarts and though your parents might try to understand what you do and your schooling, they really don't know."

Standing, Hermione nodded, "That's something that Harry and I have talked about. Although I have it easier than he does since my parents don't mind me doing homework or being a witch, we both understand how hard it is living with muggles. I think that is one of the reasons why we have grown so close."

Just then a knock came at the door, "Hermione, are you alright in there? You've been in there quite a while," Harry's concerned voice came through the closed door.

Standing and removing the chairs, Molly smiled at Hermione, "Once again, I'm glad you came and confided in me. I'm always here to talk to if you need me," She said, opening the door.

"Hi Harry," Hermione said, quickly brushing her teeth, "Mrs. Weasley was just giving me a potion for my..."

"Don't worry, Ginny told me. I'm just glad that you're okay," Harry said, blushing slightly, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, just about. Let me just go grab my purse," She said, leading him into the bedroom she shared with Ginny.

"Hermione, you don't need to bring any money with you," Harry said, smiling at her, "I am going to treat for lunch."

Hermione chuckled, "Well, you know us females, we always have to carry our bag with us," She said, slipping the potions into the bag, along with some lipstick, "Don't worry, I won't spend a dime."

Harry embraced her and gave her a tender kiss on the lips, "I won't let you. With the money that Sirius left me and the money my mum and dad left me, you don't have to."

They finally arrived at Diagon Alley after a half an hour of Fred and George telling them to come visit the shop, then Molly giving them money and a shopping list, along with Ginny making sure that Hermione was feeling okay, during which she whispered to her that she had also told her mother.

"I thought we'd never get out of there," Harry said, laughing. They had taken the Knight Bus since Hermione wasn't up to using Floo Powder.

"Me too. But now we're free and we have a whole day to spend together. I have a feeling Ron really wanted to come too."

"So do I, but he has to understand that we're dating and that we will want some time to ourselves now. I'll play Quidditch with him tomorrow and that will make up for it I'm sure. Did I tell you that I was made Quidditch captain this year?"

"No you didn't, that's great!" She said, beaming at him, "I'm so proud of you, Harry!" She then put a stern look on her face, "Don't let it interfere with your studies."

"That's my Hermione I know and love," He said, laughing and glad to see that she was acting a bit more like her old self, "So, where do you want to go first, or do you just want to walk down the street and see what we see?"

"Let's just walk and when we come to a shop we want to go in, we'll go. Of course you know I want to go in Flourish and Blotts, and I know we'll be going in Quality Quidditch supplies."

"Well, yes, I was hoping I could steer you in there," Harry said with a sheepish look on his face, "I would like to check out the new brooms that they have come out with."

"No problem, as I said we have all day."

The hours passed and they went from shop to shop, picking up things that were on Molly's list and doing some window shopping. Finally around noon time they stopped at The Leaky Cauldron for a bite to eat, and then headed to see Fred and George's shop.

"Harry, Hermione! Good to see you!" Fred greeted them enthusiastically as they entered, "Come on in and take a look around."

Hermione shook her head and laughed at the selection of sweets and miscellaneous mischief making supplies. She thought ruefully that if things kept going the way they were she wouldn't require a skivving box to get out of class.

Coming to the display of Pygmy Puffs, she decided to get one for Ginny in thanks for her helping her so much, "Hey Fred, I'm going to get your sister one of these. What color do you think she would like?"

Coming over to her, Fred thought about it, "Probably a purple one. But don't worry about paying, you're with Harry and he is our partner in this shop. Since you are his girlfriend, that goes for you as well."

"Oh, so the Potty's got a mudblood for a girlfriend, now does he?" A drawling voice said as an unwelcome visitor entered the shop.

"Malfoy, don't you have better things to do with your time?" Harry said, glaring at the boy who had no end of trouble for him and his friends.

"Of course I do, but I'm sure you know by now that this is my favorite passtime. So tell me, mudblood, were you able to scrape together a couple of OWLs last year? Surely a mudblood like you didn't do well at all on those tests."

"For your information, Malfoy, Hermione got top marks. Better, I'm sure, than you did. Except, of course, in Defense Against the Dark Arts, since you were part of that toad's little band of followers," Harry's face burned with anger.

"Come on, Harry, let's go. For some reason, this shop is just too small for Malfoy's big mouth and I won't have him ruining our day."

Fred motioned to the door, signaling for them to leave and he'd take care of Malfoy.

They had just left when they heard a huge splash as Draco slipped and fell into one of the portable swamps.

"Wish I could have seen that," Hermione said, laughing, "Too bad you didn't bring your..."

"You mean this?" Harry said with a grin, pulling out his invisibility cloak, "I always come prepared for such an emergency. That Draco is really a prat. He makes my cousin look like a boy scout," He said, expanding the cloak with an engorgement charm so that it covered both of them.

"Harry, I have long since given up on letting him get to me. If that is how he gets his kicks, so be it. I know that I can cast rings around him any day and that is all it takes for me not to care."

Harry saw a jewelry store up ahead, but noticed that Hermione was getting tired, "Are you okay?"

Hermione, who had been trying to hide how she felt, shrugged, "A little tired, that's all."

"Why don't I take you to Florean's so that you can sit down and get a drink. There's one more stop I want to make and then we can go home."

Hermione realized that they had gone to Quality Quidditch Supplies and he had seen something he liked, but hadn't gotten it, "Alright, that sounds good."

She had been sitting, drinking her malt and just relaxing when Harry returned. He had a package in his hand, but nothing that she would have expected.

"That looks like it's kind of small to be a Quidditch item," She said, looking at it, "Unless it's a snitch?"

"That's because it's not a quidditch item. It's something for you," He said, handing it to her, "Happy early birthday."

She opened the package to find a beautiful sapphire necklace set with a small diamond. The sapphire was in the shape of a teardrop and the diamond was at the top of the teardrop. It was mounted in white gold with a white gold chain.

"Harry! This is beautiful! Thank you!" She said, throwing her arms around him and giving him a kiss. When she pulled away, she had tears in her eyes, "Would you put it on me?"

Harry had just put the necklace around her neck when an owl flew into the shop and dropped a note in Hermione's lap.

_Dear Harry and Hermione,_

_You need to come home right away. There has been another attack_

_and I want to know that you two are safe._

_Sincerely,_

_Molly_

"Well, we were on our way back anyway, so that's okay," Harry said, shrugging, "At least we know we had a good time."

Hermione nodded happily; there was no reason to think that the attack was anything of consequence, Ron's mum was just being overprotective.

Leaving Florean's, they went through the Leaky Cauldron and out into Muggle Britian, where they hailed the Knight Bus and soon found themselves back at the Burrow.

When they entered the house, they knew something was terribly wrong. Both Ginny and Molly were crying and Ron looked grim, as did Mr. Weasley.

"What's wrong?" Harry said, looking at the looks on the faces in front of them.

"Hermione," Molly said, going over and putting her arm around her shoulders, "It was your parents who were attacked. I'm so very sorry."


	6. Chapter 6

Secrets

The Waiting Game

Hermione felt as if she was dreaming. She was conscious, but didn't really see anything. She felt Harry's arms around her, supporting her, and heard people talking to her, but it sounded as if their voices were coming from far away. She felt the room start to spin, and then everything went black.

When she awoke, she looked around the room and it was several full moments before she figured out that she wasn't at the Burrow anymore, but rather at St. Mungo's. The door to her room opened and Molly Weasley walked in.

"I'm glad to see you are awake, Hermione," Molly said, going over to her bedside and sitting on the edge of her bed, "You gave us quite a scare."

"What happened? Do Harry and Ron know?" Hermione said, looking at Molly with concern evident in her pale face.

"You passed out, Hermione," Molly said, sighing, "Harry and Ron don't know, not yet anyway. They just think that you were in shock. But of course I had to tell the healer in charge of your case."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears, she wished now that she had told her parents everything. Maybe they would have been better prepared.

As if reading her mind, Molly took her hand, "Hermione, you must not blame yourself for what happened. Even if they had known about the dark side of our world, there is not much that could have been done."

"Yes, but they wouldn't have been in danger if I wasn't a witch, if I hadn't gone to Hogwarts!" Fresh tears flowed down Hermione's face and soaked the bedsheets and sobs wracked her body.

"Hermione, listen to me. First of all, your parents were very proud of you. I had the pleasure of spending some time with them, and they talked about you with glowing reports," She said, a smile upon her face, "Several times during the year either your parents would come over here for dinner, or they would invite us over there. Quite honestly, I think Arthur enjoyed it more when we went there for dinner because of all the muggle gadgets your parents had. But I know that they loved you and were very proud of you. After all, you are the top of your year at Hogwarts."

Just then Arthur came into the room. Going to Hermione's bedside, he looked at her and smiled sadly, "Hermione, I want you to know that your parents didn't suffer. There are no signs of the cruciatus curse or anything like that. I know that this is a small consolation, but I thought you should know.

Out in the waiting room, Harry paced the floor, impatiently waiting to hear of news of Hermione's condition. He had been so worried about her when he saw her faint into his arms, and judging by the reaction of Mrs. Weasley and Ginny they had been too. He had been a bit surprised that Mrs. Weasley had insisted bringing Hermione to St. Mungo's but apparently it had been a good idea since she had been in a great deal of shock.

"When are they going to tell us something?" He said, checking the clock on the wall for the fourth time that hour.

"Harry, as soon as they know something, they will come and get us," Ginny said, getting worried herself. She knew how worried Ron and Harry would be if they knew the whole truth as she did. She knew what a shock this had been to Hermione and goodness only knew what it did to her already fragile state of health.

The three looked up as they saw a healer walk into Hermione's room.

"Maybe we'll get some answers soon, mate," Ron said, standing and clapping Harry on the back in a brotherly fashion.

"I hope so. I just found her, Ron. I can't lose her."

Ron was surprised to see tears in the green eyes behind the glasses that Harry wore. He had never seen his friend so distraught since the night Sirius died.

Hermione looked up as she heard the door open for a third time and saw a kind looking mediwitch enter. She was about her height with brown curly hair and hazel colored eyes.

"Well, Miss Granger, I heard that you were awake. My name is Healer Lowe and I have been put in charge of your case. How are you feeling?"

"I'm not sure. I am very tired, and I feel rather weak," Hermione said quietly.

"Mrs. Weasley told me that that you have been having some problems over the summer. Can you tell me about that?" She said, consulting her chart, "I see here in your records that you were back at the end of June following an incident at the Ministry of Magic."

Hermione nodded, "Yes, I was hit with an unknown spell in the chest during the fight. They thought that I had healed, but during the summer I started having terrible pain in my chest and sometimes it feels as if ice water is being poured over my heart."

"I see, Miss Granger. Those are very serious symptoms indeed. Why didn't you have someone bring you here to be looked at? You could have made the damage to your body worse by not being treated right away."

"My parents are...were muggles, Healer Lowe," Hermione said sadly, "I was afraid that if I told them, they wouldn't allow me to return to Hogwarts. Since I was underage, I couldn't apparate here. In fact, no one knew until I told my friend Ginny. But I only told her because I passed out at Florean's ice cream parlor."

Healer Lowe nodded her head grimly, "Well, we need to keep you here a day or two and run some tests so we know how extensive the damage is and decide on a course of treatment. Meanwhile, I saw some young people out in the waiting room who I am sure are anxious to see you. But I want you to keep your visits to a minimum for now, because you need your rest."

Arthur looked at Hermione, then at his wife, "You knew, didn't you?"

Molly reluctantly nodded, "Yes, I knew. But she only told me today."

Looking wearily at Molly, Hermione said, "Please, don't tell Harry. Not yet, not til we know what exactly we are dealing with. Just let's tell him that they are keeping me to help me rest and get over the shock."

Molly and Arthur reluctantly agreed, and then went out to get Ron, Ginny and Harry.

Harry stood as he saw Arthur and Molly coming out of Hermione's room, "How is she? Is she going to be okay?"

"Nurse Lowe wants to keep her here a day or two so that she can get some rest. She's had quite a shock and they want to make sure that she is okay before they release her," Molly's voice caught on her words and she hoped that he didn't notice.

"Can I see her?"

"You have to go in one at a time, and they don't want you to stay too long because she needs to rest," Arthur said, looking first at Harry, then at Ron and Ginny.

"Harry, you go ahead," Ron said, and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"We'll stop in and see her before we leave."

Harry opened the door to Hermione's room quietly, and looked in on her before actually entering. He was shocked by the pallor of her face and his breath caught in his throat.

Taking a moment to regain his composure, he walked to the side of her bed and gently took her hand.

"Hi sweetheart," He said, bending down and giving her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Hi Harry."

It broke his heart to hear her sound so weak and tired and it was all he could do not to take her in his arms and hold her.

"I'm so sorry about your parents, Hermione," He said softly, his voice choked with emotion, "I wish I had gotten to know them better."

"I wish you had too, Harry. They would have really liked you, I know they would have."

"Listen, they don't want me to stay too long, but I promise I will come back tomorrow, okay? Ron and Ginny want to look in on you before we go home."

Harry took Hermione's hand and kissed it, "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Harry," She said, softly, her eyes beginning to close.

With one last look at his girlfriend, Harry reluctantly left her room and went back out to the waiting room.

Ginny could see that he was visibly shaken by Hermione's condition, "Are you alright, Harry?"

Sitting in one of the chairs, Harry put his head in his hands and stared at the floor, "I have never felt so helpless in all my life. My girlfriend has lost her parents and I don't know how to help her. She looks so weak and tired in there."

Ron sat next to Harry while Ginny went and talked with her Mum.

"Mum, what did the healer say about Hermione?" She said quietly, not wanting Harry to overhear.

Leading Ginny further away from Harry, Molly turned to her daughter and put her hand on her shoulder, "They don't know, Ginny. They have to run some tests and find out what damage has been done. I just don't know..."

"Could she die?" Ginny said, afraid of her mother's answer.

"They don't know that either, Ginny. They won't know anything until they get the test results," Molly said, sadly.

A very sad and worried group left St. Mungo's, although only three of those in the group knew that there was a possibility that Hermione Granger might die.


	7. Chapter 7

Secrets

Chapter 6 Some Hard News To Hear

Hermione woke the next morning, not feeling very rested. All throughout the night healers and nurses had come into her room to check on her, making for a very restless night. She hated being in the hospital; how in the world was she going to get well if they didn't let her sleep?

When her breakfast came, she just picked at it since she wasn't very hungry. They had given her medicine to help her with her pain and nausea, so that was a little bit better, but she knew that the only thing that would really make her feel better was to get out.

Healer Brown sat in his office, going over the chart of the patient he had just been assigned, Hermione Granger. A cold smile crossed his face, an evil smile which contained no joy or mirth. A smile that chilled you to the bone.

"So, it looks like Hermione Granger's life is at stake. I know that my lord will be happy to hear this. I must see if there is any other information that I can find out about her that might be useful to him.

Hermione looked up from her uneaten breakfast when she heard a knock at her door. Figuring that it was just another healer or nurse coming to check on her, she sighed, "Can't you leave me alone?"

The door opened and Harry poked his head in, "Aww, you don't want me to leave now do you? I came to cheer you up," He said with a grin.

Grinning back at him, Hermione shook her head, "Come on in, Harry. I thought you were another one of those nurses or healers. They've been checking on me all night. Rather annoying, really. I don't know how they expect me to sleep when they do that."

Going over to Hermione, Harry gave her a kiss and brought out his hand from behind his back, showing her the beautiful roses he had brought for her, "I thought these might cheer you up," He said, giving them to her.

"Harry, how sweet!" She said, inhaling their beautiful aroma and smiling at him, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Hermione. Now, have they said when they're going to spring you out of here yet? I mean, you'll be able to get out before we have to go back to Hogwarts, right?"

"Oh, trust me Harry. If they don't let me out of here before then, I'm walking out the door myself and no one better try to stop me," She put such a stern look on her face that it was comical.

Laughing, Harry bent down and gave her a hug, "I should have known that you wouldn't let them keep you from Hogwarts, sweetheart."

Healer Brown stood outside Hermione's hospital room door and watched the show of affection between the two teenagers. So, Harry and Hermione were dating. This was very interesting information indeed. Putting on his healer face, he knocked at the door. Opening it, he smiled at the two as he entered.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. My name is Healer Brown and I have been put in charge of your case. Mr. Potter, would you mind if you waited outside for a few minutes while I examine your friend? I will call you back in directly."

"Of course not," Harry said, bending down and giving Hermione a kiss, "I'll come right back in as soon as I'm allowed, love." Squeezing her hand gently, he reluctantly left her side and went out into the hallway, where he was greeted by the Weasleys, "How long have you been here?"

"We just arrived," Molly said, smiling softly at him, "How's she doing?"

"Well, she had a rough night. She says it's very hard to sleep in here. There's a new healer that was put on her case today that is in there examining her," Sitting down on one of the chairs, Harry turned to Molly, "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there? This is something more than the shock of her parents' death."

Just then the healer came back out, "You can go ahead back in, Mr. Potter," He said, quietly, a grim look upon his face.

Happy that he could go back in with Hermione, Harry didn't press the matter and let it drop for the time being. As soon as he entered her room, Healer Brown took Molly and Arthur aside.

"I know that Miss Granger is nearly of age, but she won't be seventeen until September 19th, according to her chart. Do you know if her parents have made any provisions for her care should something happen to them?"

"Actually no one knows this, but since she had no living relatives, they had requested that if something should happen to them that we take her in. Coming from a muggle family such as she did, they thought that it would be easier on her to live with a wizarding family that she already knew. So we are her legal guardians now," Arthur said, looking at the healer, "Were you able to tell anything from the examination?"

"Please, sit down," Healer Brown said, gesturing to some chairs in a quiet, private area. When they were all seated, he looked at them with concern, "There has been extensive damage to her chest. Where the damage is, and what it has affected, we're not sure yet. But there were traces of the spell left in her system and since the fight, they have been working against her body."

"Why didn't they detect them when she was here before?" Molly said, tears pricking her eyes, "Isn't there anything that can be done?"

"Well, for right now we're attempting to arrest the progression of the spell and hopefully destroy it. You see, it's working similar to way cancer works. The longer that the spell remains in her body, the more damage it does."

"What about Hogwarts? Can she return to Hogwarts?" Arthur say, knowing how important her schooling was to her.

"I am going to start a course of treatment for her today and keep her here til at least tomorrow. As long as we get her stable enough, I will send her home in your care and with specific instructions. But she will need to come back and be examined before she goes to Hogwarts, and I will be contacting Madame Pomfrey to let her know what her treatment will be."

Harry had entered Hermione's room again to see her looking sad, "'Mione, what's wrong?" He said, going over to her side and taking her hand."

Hermione looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes, "Harry, I have something to tell you and it's going to be very hard for you to hear."


End file.
